Illegal mining or collection of riverbed materials continues in different parts of the hill State unabated despite putting in place an Illegal Mining Prevention Vigilance Unit by the State Government.
However, keeping in view cases of illegal extraction of natural resources, the Nainital district administration has decided to strengthened its enforcement wing. To prevent such illegal activities of illegal mining here, the Nainital district administration has decided to set up a police post at the Kathgodam’s Amritpur area to curb the menace of illegal extraction of natural resources and riverbed materials.
It may be recalled that the Illegal Mining Prevention Vigilance Unit seized illegal minerals worth over Rs 6 crore from the same Amritpur and Gola riverbed in Haldwani/Kathgodam’s Jamrani area on December 26. More so, illegal minerals worth over Rstwo crore were reportedly seized by the enforcement agencies from two stone crushers here on January 1, 2014. However, following reports of illegal collection of riverbed materials coming in continuously from different parts of the region and from
the owners of stone crushers for many days, the district administration Nainital has decided to strengthen enforcement wings by opening a police post the Kathgodam’s Amritpur area. Since the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) also looks after mining works in the Amritpur area, therefore, apart from home guards, officials from revenue department and KMVN will also be deployed at this police post in Kathgodam’s Amritpur area, said the officials concerned of the Nainital district administration.
Regular monitoring of the vehicles used in supply of riverbed materials is need of the hour. Therefore, all the enforcement agencies need to lunch a coordinated effort to curb the menace of illegal mining, asked the Nainital district administration. In the meanwhile, Arvind Singh Hyanki, District Magistrate, Nainital has stressed on the need to completely ban the illegal collection of riverbed materials and illegal extraction of f the natural resources from this region.
At the same time, he has also asked the officials concerned to maintain vehicular traffic in different parts of the district. It is to note that this is perhaps for the first time when the Uttarakhand Government has decided to deal with the menace of illegal collection of riverbed materials and extraction of the natural resources strongly.
Constitution of the Illegal Mining Prevention Vigilance Unit recently by the State Government only gives that impression. And it is a general feeling here that Government’s tough move against the menace of illegal extraction of natural resources and collection of riverbed materials will not only earn more revenue for the Government but also save the natural resources in the long run.